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Outsiders views of Sub-Saharan Africa

Ward, Walter D, and Denis Gainty. Sources of World Societies. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print.

The Outsiders View of Sub-Saharan Africa has been extracted from The Book of Routes and Realms. The text was written by Abu Ubaydallah Al-Bakri in the eleventh century, 1067 and 1068. It takes the form of a perspective of the outside world on Sub-Saharan Africa. The text gives a description of two Western African kingdoms, namely, Ghana and Mali during the slave trade era. The text also describes the social set up of the kingdoms, their religious practices, their systems of leadership, and their way of life. The king of Ghana at the time was Tunka Manin, who inherited the throne from his uncle, Basi. The people in the kingdom live in dome shaped houses and practice paganism, but the king and his were Muslims. The people from Mali were Muslims too and at the same time worshipped idols.

Looking at these two Western African countries, it is clear that leadership was founded on religion. For instance, Tunka was praised for his justice and friendship to Muslims, to the extent of deceiving the people when he went blind instead of replacing him with a king who was not restrained by any form of inability. The king of Mali was also called “The Muslim” and took lessons of the Quran so that he could learn Islam. This shows that Western Africa was dominated by Muslims and for one to take a position of power; he had to be a follower of Islam. Despite the religion, the kings’ subjects were worshippers of idols and lacked religion, both in Mali and in Ghana. However, Mali is seen being liberated by the Muslim who assisted the king with the Quran and the Islamic traditions. The people from Mali are able to discover that the worship of idols could keep their blessings away and they destroyed them. In Ghana, however, people were deceived and denied what is rightfully theirs. They had no say and were helpless when subjected to the law.